As We Live
by bluegoldrose
Summary: CSI rewritten. Full of twists, turns, crimes, and eventually romances. better descriptions in chapter one and on my profile page. Holly is recovering and Sara is comming to Vegas, but will the team be able to handle the changes they face?
1. The Holly Gribbs Case: 1

**NOTE: **This majority of the dialogue contained within this chapter is not mine, but was in the episode 'Cool Change' for the fact that this episode is integral to the story and I am unable to change the dialogue in a way that would be better than the original, I have maintained what was originally written. I ask you to please consider this and any other time that dialogue from the show is used to be a _novelization_, and not me using the wonderful work of other writers for my own purposes, thank you.

_This story begins at the beginning of CSI and develops from there. I use many of the original stories, but some with my own twists and turns. I also have added in some of my own cases and characters. Some of the stories have been rearranged in the timeline for artistic reasons. There will be crossovers eventually as well—2 are obviously the Miami and NY CSIs._

_Eventually there will be shipping, but it won't be bad, I promise! (There will be no slash, because I don't write slash.) Some of the timeline is being tweaked still, but it will be solidified shortly. Again, most of the dialogue in this chapter comes from episode 2: 'Cool Change'. The rest of the chapters contain my work more than this one does._

_Please read, enjoy, and comment (I accept all types). _

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**_As We Live_**

_**Part 1: **A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara  
**Chapter 1-** The Holly Gribbs Case: Section 1_

_Holly Gribbs got more than she expected her first day as a CSI, and as she felt her life slipping away, she found the whole experience to be funny in a sick sort of way. By the time the ambulance arrived, she was unconscious, with no way of knowing if she would live or die._

_

* * *

_

_It was night when Sara arrived in Vegas. She had called ahead to a motel she had stayed at once before and gotten a reservation, so when she drove her car into the lot, she knew she had a decent place to stay for the night. She checked in, took her bags into her room, and fell asleep wondering what the day would hold._

_At about seven in the morning Sara drove to the Hotel Monaco— where Grissom had left a voicemail for her to meet him— she saw dummies being dropped from the top of the hotel and smiled._

_Grissom walked along taking pictures of the dummies. "Norman pushed, Norman jumped, Norman fell."_

_"Wouldn't you if you were married to Mrs. Roper?" Sara said with a playful smile._

_Grissom responded with a similar tone and grin. "I don't have to turn around, Sara Sidle."_

_As he walked towards her she said, "That's me. Still tossing simulation dummies, there are other ways to tell you know."_

_"How, computer simulation? No thank you, I'm a scientist, I like to see it. Newton dropped the apple, I drop dummies."_

_"You're old school."_

_"Exactly, and this guy was pushed."_

_Sara paused and became serious. "How's the girl?"_

_He became serious too. "Still in surgery, she's not doin' very well."_

_"That's too bad."_

_"Sara, I have so many unanswered whys," he began, but she cut him off._

_"There's only one why that matters now. Why did Warrick Brown leave that scene?"_

_He nodded slightly. Then he gave her the information she needed and gave her directions to the crime lab, and a folder containing information about the case. She got into her car, put the folder on the passenger seat, and drove to the lab._

_

* * *

_

_Warrick shook his head in disbelief and disgust. There was only one way to get the money, go to a casino and win it._

_

* * *

_

_"Do you know where I can find Catherine Willows," Sara asked._

_"She's out in the field," Catherine replied quickly._

_Sara paused, looked back at the papers she held in her hand, and was slightly puzzled._

_Catherine looked back at her. "Let me guess, Sara Sidle?"_

_"I know who I am, I think you're a little confused," she replied with a little smile._

_Agitation showed plainly though in Catherine's voice. "If you think you're taking my case… forget it."_

_Sara shut the door, turned around, and put her arms up in a gesture of surrender. "Look, we can stand here and argue, or we can go out there and find out who did this to Holly Gribbs. Two sharp women are better than one."_

_They stared evenly at one another for a moment, and then Catherine took a breath. She held up an evidence bag containing a pager. She took it out as she started speaking._

_"Pager, found it at the crime scene."_

_"Where'd you get the pager nest?"_

_"Grissom, he won it on E-bay."_

_Sara nodded a little and watched Catherine at the computer. "They're great for tracing if you can rely on the suspect's honesty."_

_Catherine placed the pager on the nest, and let it trace._

_"Uh… Desmond Tutu," Catherine said._

_"See what I mean," Sara asked with a grin. "Don't feel bad, my last four traces came back Eminem, so…" They both laughed. Then Sara became serious. "Look, you seem to have everything under control here. Where can I find Warrick Brown?"_

_"Try one of the casinos on Blue Diamond Road." Catherine's focus had returned to the pager, so she couldn't see the look of disgust on Sara's face or how she shook her head. Sara turned to leave, and had her hand on the door when Catherine spoke again. "Oh, I'll page you, with any information."_

_Sara smiled, and then left while writing notes down in the notepad she was holding. Catherine then returned to her work with a sigh— figuring out whom the pager belonged to was going to take awhile._

_

* * *

_

_Sara started as benignly as possible. "You were playing 100 on every spot, you got a system?"_

_"Counting cards," Warrick replied simply._

_"Isn't that illegal?"_

_"Not if you do the math in your head."_

_She nodded and formulated her next question. "You play anything else?"_

_Warrick sounded exhausted when he responded. "I bet sports from time to time."_

_Sara started to dig into her bag for her notepad while talking. "So, let me get this straight. You were assigned by Brass to shadow a trainee. A robbery comes up on M.L.K. and you go for coffee."_

_"An officer was there."_

_"So you felt safe to leave. Do you know the policies and procedures for clearing a scene?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Then why did you leave? I mean, what was so important that you had to rush out of there?"_

_"I told you, I went for coffee."_

_Sara lost her investigative voice and switched into accusatory mode. "Was that before or after you made your bets? Sunday, Vegas, NFL football, come on, you tryin' to tell me that you didn't make a little pit stop? Look at me, did you log off, tell dispatch where you were going?"_

_"Do you know how many times I've been left alone at a crime scene when I was a rookie?" Warrick shot back his remark, and then sunk his head into his hand._

_"Yeah, well this time is different."_

_"Yeah, why's that," his voice took on an edge of threat._

_Sara spoke loudly, and her voice wavered a little. "Why, because a CSI was shot while you were supposed to be watching her! She nearly died!"_

_Warrick stared blankly at her for a moment, and then whispered, "Nearly, that means she's…"_

_Sara calmed down as well and answered his question, "In critical condition in the ICU at Desert Palms. She was just placed there within the hour, it's too early to tell if she'll live or not, but the doctor's are hopeful."_

_

* * *

_

_"Hey, this is the Willows house, can I help you," a female voice said._

_Catherine gaped and swallowed hard. "Who is this, and where's Eddie," she spat._

_"Um I'm Tanya, and Eddie is in the shower right now, who should I say called?" The woman sounded young and very much like an airhead._

_"His wife!"_

_"Oh." In the background, Catherine could hear Eddie asking why she had picked up and who was on the phone, and then he got on. "Hello," Eddie said._

_Catherine prevented herself from screaming and said angrily, "Who is she! Never mind. I'll see you when I get home, and Tanya better not be there!" Then Catherine shut her phone and put her hands to her head to prevent anyone from seeing her tears._

_A few moments later Sara walked into the room and asked if she could get a soda. Catherine was slightly startled, and said yes while moving forward and trying to dry her eyes._

_"Do you want one," Sara asked, as she looked into the mini-fridge, oblivious to Catherine's state of mind._

_Catherine turned around, satisfied that she looked a little better and asked, "Is there anything in there with alcohol?"_

_"Root beer," Sara replied with a wry grin._

_Catherine sighed. "No." She was still trying to control her emotions when a pager started beeping. Broken out of her emotional deluge, she looked at her pager and Sara looked at her own. After a moment of looking between one another, Catherine rushed to the suspect's pager, which was on the table._

_After fumbling with it for a few moments, Catherine dialed the number into her phone and called it._

_Sara looked shocked. "What are you going to say? Hi, I'm a criminalist; I was in the neighborhood…"_

_Catherine cut her off. "Shih, it's ringing."_

_"Hello," a young man said._

_"Uh, hey," Catherine replied in a smooth fake southern accent._

_"Who's this; I just dialed my own beeper."_

_"Uh-uh, it's my beeper now. I found it." Catherine responded playfully._

_He wasn't happy. "It ain't your beeper, girl. It's mine; I do a lot of business on that beeper."_

_"What kind of business?"_

_"You know- slinging a little somethin'-somethin'." He sounded so sure of himself._

_"Oh, a little somethin'-somethin', or maybe a little bling-bling?" Catherine added some curiosity into her tone._

_He made a low growl and said. "So what you know about some bling-bling?"_

_With a longing edge in her voice, she said, "Well invite me over to your crib baby and you might find out."_

_"It's on. Three Aces Motel, room 202."_

_"Three Aces Motel, room 202." She sighed expectantly while Sara wrote down the information. "See you soon."_

_She shut her phone and looked to Sara in shock. "Did I just do that?"_

_Sara, who had been smiling the whole time cocked her head and asked, "What's a bling-bling?"_

_Catherine shook her head. "You got me."_

_After that, Catherine contacted Brass to get a team together so that they could get the man who had shot Holly. Catherine and Sara headed to the station so that they could accompany the team._

_TBC…_


	2. The Holly Gribbs Case: 2

_My goal is to make this chapter a tad shorter than the last one (5 pages is a lot to read for one chapter of a fic.) Also, I realize that there is little originality on my part for the first chapter, but I have definitely changed things for this chapter. Enjoy!

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**As We Live**

**Part 1: **A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara  
**Chapter 2-** The Holly Gribbs Case: Section 2

_Last time… Sara Sidle was called in by Grissom to investigate the Holly Gribbs case. Holly is in critical condition in ICU. Catherine called home, and to her shock a woman picked up saying that Eddie was in the shower; when Eddie came on the line, Catherine told him that the woman better be gone by the time she gets home. A man contacted the beeper that was left at the scene where Holly was shot, and said where he was, leading to a team of police officers—accompanied by Catherine and Sara—to go after him…_

"Do you mind if I smoke," Sara asked Catherine as they drove behind the lead police car. Catherine pulled open the ashtray, which was almost full of cigarette butts, and smiled. "Only if you don't mind me smoking," she replied. So they both lit up, letting the addictive and relaxing effects of nicotine calm them.

"It's such a bad habit," Sara said.

"I know. I've been trying to quit for years. But it's never the right day you know?"

Sara smiled wryly, "Yeah. Maybe we should both try to quit before the year is over."

"Four months," Catherine asked incredulously.

"Hey, anything is possible. Besides which, I said _try._" They both grinned. "What do you do when working to get rid of the cravings?"

"Nicorette. Not what they invented it for I'm sure, but it really works."

"That's what I do too," Sara replied as she blew out a puff of smoke. "What do your co-workers think? I mean most of mine don't care, and if they do they tell me about how bad it is for my health and my ability to smell."

"Mostly the same, some push more than others, especially Grissom who _constantly_ reminds me that it's not good for me."

"That sounds like Grissom," she replied with a grin.

"How do you know him anyway," Catherine asked.

"Several years ago he spoke at the San Francisco crime lab. We had the choice to either attend his seminar or attend a sensitivity seminar. My boss is friends with Grissom and suggested that I go, and afterwards we talked, and we've been talking ever since."

Catherine nodded. "Got it." They fell into silence, and a few minutes later pulled up to the hotel where the pager's owner was staying. They got out of Catherine's car at the same time that three officers and captain Brass got out of their squad cars. Brass passed the women on the stairs, and all four officers stood at the door with their guns drawn. Jim announced their presence before nodding to one of the men who knocked the door in.

Inside was a young black man who was only wearing leopard print underwear. He tried to jump out a window, but was grabbed and controlled by two officers, and thrown on the bed to be cuffed.

"Now that's a bling-bling," Catherine said when she came into the room.

He was barely able to see her from the angle his head was at, but was shocked and not happy that Catherine was the one he had talked to on the phone. When he was stood up Catherine noticed the scratch on his face, so she took a DNA sample from him. Then Catherine got on the radio.

"For whoever's listening, Holly Gibb's suspect is in custody."

* * *

Hearing that Holly's attacker was in custody made Warrick happy, but given that he was two seconds from meeting Judge Cohen again, it didn't get rid of all of his anxiety. He breathed deeply and walked up to the judge's car where Cohen already stood waiting. "Ten thousand, see you around judge."

Warrick turned to leave, but then the judge stopped him. "You don't leave until I tell you to leave."

Surprised and agitated, he responded, "What, you gonna hold me in contempt."

"You're already in contempt with me. We're in bed pal I own you."

"Nobody owns me."

"Yeah, let me tell you something you ever heard of a wolf in sheep's clothing? You and me, we're gonna to do business together, whether you like it or not. Keep your cell phone charged." With a big smile, the judge got in his car and pulled away. Warrick just stood there in shock; he was in way over his head. Given that he wasn't going to work any cases until further notice, there were only a few options for what he could do. He chose the one option that could best clear his conscious—he'd see Holly.

* * *

Holly had been downgraded from critical to serious and placed in a two-person room; unfortunately, she was still in a coma. Warrick sat at the head of her bed and looked at her. There were several IVs in her, along with heart and respiration monitors. She was pale, her hair was messy, and there was blood under some of her fingernails. Warrick felt sick. The churning in his stomach hadn't slowed all day, and he knew it was because of her, because he blamed himself for what she was going through. Warrick was so wrapped in his thoughts, that he didn't notice Catherine and Sara come in.

"Warrick," Catherine said gently, causing him to jump a little.

"Oh, it's you. I didn't have anything else to do, and I…"

"Hey, I understand," she replied. "We have to collect evidence from her. It's good to know that she's alive." He nodded, and then put his head on his hands to prevent them from seeing the tears that had formed in his eyes.

Warrick looked up to see Catherine taking the nail scrapings from Holly, and avoided looking at Sara, who was glaring at him the whole time. Catherine breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Well Warrick, I'll see you later."

He pressed his lips into a slight smile. "See ya Cath." With a pause he added, "Sara."

She nodded in acknowledgement, and then the two women left. Warrick returned to keeping silent vigil beside the woman he barely knew but felt he owed everything to.

* * *

TBC... 

_The next chapter shouldn't take too long to write (basically it's just finishing up the case) and then the rest of the story (which I love a lot) gets to start. But again, it'll take awhile for this story to be written (semester starts again soon) I am working on this story as well as the several other open stories I have, I just hope that you'll stick with it and enjoy what I write. _

_Again, I'm also not revealing the ships for awhile 1) to keep people curious because given that I ship a lot of things for this show no one but me has a clue and 2) to keep the people interested in the story without the romance being the primary focus of the reason they read. Also as I mentioned in the last chapter, I will use the other characters but they aren't that important at the moment, trust me if you like Nick he gets used A LOT! but not until later._

Thank you to DrusilaBraun, necira, csifreak04, and CSIFan4Life for your nice reviews, they are what keeps me writing. (well that and an overactive imagination...)


	3. The Holly Gribbs Case: 3

**As We Live**

**Part 1: **A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara  
**Chapter 3-** The Holly Gribbs Case: Section 3

_Last time… Sara Sidle was called in by Grissom to investigate the Holly Gribbs case. Catherine called home, and to her shock a woman picked up saying that Eddie was in the shower; when Eddie came on the line, Catherine told him that the woman better be gone by the time she gets home. The suspect in Holly Gribbs' attack is in custody. Holly is in serious condition at the hospital, where Warrick is sitting at her side, hoping that she wakes up from her coma. Meanwhile, Sara and Catherine have returned to the lab and are waiting for the DNA results from Holly's fingernail scrapings to come back…_

Catherine was pacing, and it was starting to drive Sara nuts. They had been waiting for the DNA to be run and compared, and it was taking a very long time. They had both done various things to keep themselves occupied, like talking and crossword puzzles, but they were both anxious and _very_ bored. Then Sara's cell phone rang. She looked at the name and grimaced, but answered anyway.

"Hey, what is it?" Catherine looked at Sara with curiosity because the younger woman was definitely not happy to be speaking to the person on the other end of the line. The other person was female from the sound of the voice. "Look, I know," Sara sighed. "Yeah I'm sorry too... I'm working right now and don't really have…. No I'm not in Frisco, I'm in Vegas…. It's a case…. No it doesn't have to do with him…. Yeah I know, look that's not important right now…. I'll talk to you when I get back…. Yeah me to…. Ok, bye." Sara released a noise of frustration as she hung up.

"What was that all about," Catherine asked.

"Personal issues," she replied with a shake of her head. Catherine nodded, remembering that she still had Eddie to deal with later. Sara rummaged through her bag and pulled out a pack of gum. "Nicorette," she asked as she put a piece in her mouth.

"I already have one," Catherine replied as she stuck the piece out of her mouth a bit.

Then Greg opened the lab door. "Hey," he called to them. "Your DNA results are back." The three of them went into the lab and while Greg picked up the papers to tell them the results, both women moved around impatiently. "Well according to my DNA data, the types are 418 quadrillion to one that our suspect is Holly's attacker."

Sara smiled broadly. "Pretty good stats."

Catherine smiled too. "Yeah, considering that there's only about six billion people in the world. Thanks Greg."

"It's just my job," he replied with a smile. As the women turned to go, he said, "Hey, I didn't catch your name."

Sara looked at him, still grinning. "Sara Sidle," she said. "I work at the San Francisco crime lab."

"It's uh… it's nice to meet you."

She favored him with a grin, and then the women left. When they were gone, he returned to his work.

* * *

After turning the evidence over to Brass so that they could charge the suspect with his crimes, Catherine and Sara headed off to do different tasks. Sara sat down in the break room and wrote out her report on Warrick and the Holly case. She caught up to Grissom just before he was going to talk to a suspect. "Hey, can we talk," she asked as they walked down the hall. 

"Yeah, let's go to my office," he said, his heart heavy because he was pretty sure of what she would recommend. They entered his office, shut the door, and sat down.

"I'm recommending that you let Warrick go. He didn't follow procedures and he was placing bets on the city's time."

He swallowed and pursed his lips, taking in what she said and trying to figure out what to do next. "I figured."

"Look, it's nothing personal. He did something wrong."

"I know. I'll make my decision and talk to him about it after I read your report." He paused and looked at her, studying her face. "I want to talk to you before you go."

"I don't leave until tomorrow morning."

"Then what about later today, after I get off."

She nodded, and then seeing that there was nothing more to say, she put the report on his desk and left.

* * *

Warrick was sitting on a bench down the hall from the interrogation room where Nick and Grissom were waiting for Grissom to come to him and tell him he was fired. The two men exited the room together, and then Nick nodded to Warrick before heading down another hall. Grissom sat next to Warrick and sighed. 

"They say I have to let you go. You violated the policies and procedures for clearing a scene. I read Sara's report."

"I know. I messed up, and Holly is in a coma, and we don't know if she'll wake up." He spoke sadly and softly, causing Grissom's stomach to knot. Warrick took off his gun and id badge and handed them to Grissom. "I'm sorry Gil."

"I'm sorry too," he replied as he accepted the items. "I don't want to do this."

"You got to. You know where I was?"

Grissom smiled sadly. "I think I've got a pretty good idea."

"I was laying a bet. I didn't even think I was doing anything wrong. It never occurred to me."

"It never occurred to me either." Suddenly something occurred to him, he had done the same thing to Holly. Grissom stood up and looked at Warrick. "You know what, if I let you go I go I've got to let me go too. And Catherine and Brass, we're all culpable in this. I don't care what the book says. I don't want to lose someone else today." With that, he handed Warrick back his gun and id badge. Warrick gaped a moment and then accepted them. He stood up and looked Grissom in the eye. "I won't let you down again." In response Grissom only nodded.

Outside of the police department, Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Grissom, and Sara stood in a group waiting for Douglas Washington, Holly's attacker, to be brought out. Brass, along with two other officers escorted Douglas out of the building and into a waiting police car. The other officers entered the vehicle, while Brass joined the others. They all watched as the vehicle drove off, and headed to the prison.

* * *

Catherine headed to her sister's house to see Lindsey. She was relieved that the case was over, but she had an even bigger problem to deal with now—her husband. She pulled into the driveway, and recognized his car. "_Oh, this'll be fun,"_ Catherine thought. She got out of the car and knocked on the door. Her brother-in-law Scott opened the door and let her in. 

"Lindsey and Brian are playing out back. Eddie is in the living room with Jessica. He had wanted to pick up Lindsey, but Jessie said you called earlier and didn't want him to pick her up, so he's been waiting here for the better part of an hour. What's going on?"

Catherine grimaced. "I'd rather talk to him about it first, sorry."

"It's all right Cat," he offered.

A moment later, they were in the living room, and Eddie stood to greet Catherine. Seeing the glare Catherine was giving him, her sister and brother-in-law left the room to give them alone time. "Cate, before you get upset and start yelling at me, I just want you to know that it's not what you think."

"What, a woman being in our house while you're in the shower and I'm away? That's supposed to look like something other than you having an affair," she asked, her voice wavering with emotion.

He hung his head. "I… it does look like that and it…"

"It is that," she spat angrily. "I don't know why I expected you to change after the last time!"

He started yelling back at her. "Look, what do you expect me to do when you're never home! Do you expect me to be happy in a marriage where we're never together! Is that what you want Cate!"

"Well someone needs to work so that we can have a house!"

"I work."

"Every once in awhile! That's not going to take care of our daughter!"

"So what do you want to hear, that I was screwing Tanya! Well guess what, I am!"

Catherine was shaking with anger and hurt. "I want a divorce!"

"Fine," he yelled back, and then lowered his voice. "I'll be out by the end of the week," he hissed.

He stormed out of the room and down the hall. As he reached the door, he heard Lindsey. "Dad," she said softly. He turned around and looked at his ten-year-old daughter. She was standing next to her aunt, uncle, and cousin and tears were forming in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

His anger went away and he sighed as he walked to her. Kneeling down and taking her in his arms he said, "Your mom and I are having problems." He looked at Catherine, who was now standing behind their daughter. "We have been for a while, and we're going to divorce."

"No," she sobbed, as the tears she had been holding back fell. "You can't. My friends' parents divorce all the time. You can't!"

Catherine knelt next to her as well and stroked her hair. Her sister's family went into another room to leave them alone. "Lindsey, it'll be all right. We'll work things out so that you see both of us all the time. It's just that your dad and I don't get along anymore."

"I'm going to be moving out so that you and your mom can stay where you are."

Lindsey looked at both of them, her blue eyes bright and glistening, and her lip quivering. "I don't want you to leave."

Eddie hugged her close. "I know baby, but I have to," he whispered. Then he stood up and walked away. Catherine held Lindsey back from running after him. She fell to the ground sobbing, fighting against her mother even after Eddie shut the front door behind him. Silently, tears began falling down Catherine's cheeks as she watched him leave.

* * *

Grissom walked into the diner and looked for Sara. It was her idea to meet there and he agreed, but now he was becoming nervous. He exhaled deeply to ease himself, and then saw her at a table in the corner. He smiled to himself, and then went to join her. "Do you mind if I join you," he said with a grin. 

She laughed and smiled back. "That'd be nice."

He sat across from her, and they focused first on figuring out what food they would eat. When their waitress left, they looked at one another for awhile, uncertain of what to say.

"I didn't fire Warrick," Grissom stated simply.

"I figured," she said into her soda.

"Look, everyone deserves a second chance. It wouldn't have been right for me to fire him, not when he wasn't the only one to leave Holly alone that day."

She gave him a level stare. "You left her too?"

"Yeah."

She nodded, and her face flickered with different emotions. "So why did you want me to come if you weren't going to follow my recommendations any way? Was there a point?"

"If internal affairs did the investigation I would have been compelled to let him go. With an independent investigator internal affairs would be satisfied and…"

"And you could ignore my decisions," Sara accused as she cut him off.

"No, that's not it at all. I value your ideas and opinions, if I didn't we wouldn't be friends. I really was going to let him go, but then I remembered what I had done, and the culpability was there for me too. I couldn't lose another team member." He paused, letting his words get to her. She was in a defensive posture, but still listening to him. "I don't take for granted the work you did. I appreciate it. But you know just as well as I do that people make mistakes, and the guilt Warrick feels is punishment enough, he doesn't need to lose his job on top of everything."

She swallowed and picked at her nails to avoid eye contact. She couldn't tell him that she had something against Warrick because he gambled, that would be unprofessional, but something in her hated Warrick, and it wouldn't go away. In her heart she knew that Grissom was right, seeing Warrick at Holly's hospital bed had told her that much. Finally, she looked back at Grissom. "You're right," she replied, even though she didn't completely agree.

They fell into silence again, which Grissom finally broke minutes later. "I had hoped that when we met again it would be on better terms, but I needed someone like you to work it. I'm glad that you came."

She smiled. "I'm glad I came too."

"Look, I…" He stopped his thought however, because their waitress had arrived with their dinners. When she left, Sara was staring at him, waiting for him to finish his thought. "You were saying," she questioned.

He grinned. "I have an offer that I want to make." Her eyes narrowed questioningly. "How would you like to work here?"

Her jaw dropped slightly, and her eyes widened. She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to articulate anything. "You mean you want me to work on your team? To work here, in the second largest crime lab in the country… How?"

His tone became grim. "We don't know if Holly will wake up from her coma, and even if she does, she'll have a lot of physical therapy to go through before she is able to work in the lab again. So there is a vacancy, one which you are qualified to fill. Besides which, I know how much you want to advance in your career, think of this as one of the steps to get there."

The corner of her lip raised in a quirky smile. "I want to work in Quantico some day."

"You said that you were just waiting until you were experienced enough, and you'd get plenty of experience here."

"I'd need time to think about it."

"I assumed as much."

They shared a brief smile, but hers quickly faded into a frown. "There is a lot to consider you know? Changing jobs, cities, and co-workers is one thing, but there are other considerations as well."

He sighed deeply, knowing exactly what she was talking about. "I thought that we were past that."

She bit her lip nervously. "So did I, but we've never worked together before, and that could change things. I don't want people to be thinking that I got a job with you for any reason besides the fact that I'm qualified for the position."

"Then don't let them."

She sighed and lowered her head a moment. "Five weeks." He raised an eyebrow. She met his eyes and finished her thought. "Give me five weeks, two to decided, two for notice in Frisco, and one to move. I'll tell you at the end of the first two weeks whether or not I'm going to accept your offer. How does that sound?"

"It sounds reasonable." Then they both grinned and began to eat.

* * *

Warrick had fallen asleep beside Holly's bed. It was a fitful sleep, full of the uncertainties that had been plaguing his mind for days. Eventually, he awoke and returned to looking at her sleeping form. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he put a hand on one of hers. To his surprise, her hand slowly grasped his. He looked at her face, and saw her eyes open, and a small smile form on her lips. Holly Gribbs was awake.

* * *

TBC... 

I want a beta, so if you're interested, please message me!

Thanks to Drusilla Braun for your review, I appreciated it.

And if anyone thinks they have a clue where I'm going ship-wise in this story after this... you're probably wrong.

BTW, please review if you read, I see the number of hits on a page and it's kinda nice if reviews come from the viewers, even if they are negative criticism. (I accept criticism of my work, not meaningless blasting.)


	4. Decisions: 1

**As We Live**

**Part 1: **A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara  
**Chapter 4-** Decisions: Part 1

She had ten hours to decide, and she still had no idea what her choice would be. It's wasn't like Sara hadn't thought about whether or not she wanted to work in Vegas; she had, but not very much. As soon as she had returned to San Francisco there was a quadruple homicide which had taken up most of her time and thoughts. The rest of the time she had spent on other cases or avoiding making a firm decision on whether or not she was going to move. The problem was that there were positives and negatives to either choice. She tossed herself onto her bed and yelled into her pillow, frustrated beyond reason.

_What should I do,_ she thought. _If I stay here I know the people and the place, but the memories are so strong. Leaving the memories would make things easier, but it won't make them go away. There are the good memories though, and I have friends here. Ok, maybe they aren't that great of friends. I really could live without Steven. I can't even stand him. Director Cameron is worth staying for though. Without him I wouldn't have my job, or even know Grissom. Grissom, a good reason to go to Vegas and to stay away from Vegas. _She groaned out loud and then just lay there for awhile pondering what she should do.

After lying there for several minutes, Sara got up and went to her computer to check her e-mail. She opened up a message that a friend had sent regarding whether or not she should change jobs.

_Sara,_

_I know that this is a really hard decision for you to make. I know that you're probably worrying about everyone else involved in this, so what I'm going to say next may shock you. Forget about everyone else! This should be a decision you make based on what you want in a job. Forget about all the other people that are involved both in Frisco and in Vegas. You can't be thinking about your co-workers when you are considering your career. I told you that you'd be shocked. After all, I'm the one always saying that you should be concerned for others, but this isn't one of those cases. You said that Vegas has more opportunities than SF does for advancement in your field, so go where the possibilities are. I know you're worried about a lot of things, especially where Gil Grissom is concerned, but didn't you say that both of you were past everything that happened? He is your friend, and it seems like he'll be a good boss for you. I can't make your decisions for you, but I hope that this helps._

_Love ya,_

_Lissy_

Sara sighed and then smiled. "Thanks Lissy," she said. Sara had made her decision; she would go to Vegas.

* * *

The house felt empty. When Eddie had left, he had taken many of the things that had belonged to both of them, within reason though, because Lindsey was still living there. The divorce papers were signed, and over the next few months, everything including custody of their daughter, would be divided between them. Lindsey was giving them both the silent treatment, which was wearing on both Catherine and Eddie. Catherine's sister Jessica said that Lindsey would overcome her anger in time, all everyone had to do was be patient.

* * *

"Why do you come," Holly asked Warrick as he sat down beside her hospital bed again. 

"What do you mean, don't you want your co-workers to visit you?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you still my co-workers? I worked there one day and have been in here ever since. Not that many jobs keep people who only work one day, besides which when I'm released they say I'll have months of recovery before I can work again. Not to mention the trial for the man who shot me."

He let out a deep breath. "Grissom says that he'll keep a spot open for you when you are able to return to work. So while you're not gonna get paid, at least you'll have a job when you're ready."

She smiled. "I know, he told me. I get you my family, Catherine, and Grissom in here a lot, and I get you more than anyone else. So answer my question, be nice to the injured girl, why do you come?"

He looked at her pensively for a moment, and then looked at everything else to form a straight answer. "Guilt." She nodded, understanding. "I keep thinking that if I was there things would have been different. I feel like I owe it to you to be here."

She reached a hand out and laid it on one of his. "I don't blame you. Don't blame yourself ok."

He pressed his lips into a small smile. "I'll try."

* * *

Sara breathed deeply as she sank into the chair opposite Assistant Lab Director Blake Cameron. She had already told Grissom, her landlords, and her shift supervisor that she was going to Vegas, now she had to tell Blake. He was in his early fifties, with a large build, hazel eyes, and grey-brown hair on his head and moustache. He had a stern expression that he always wore, but behind his work worn face was a kind spirit. 

"You're going," he stated before she even had a chance to speak.

"Uh, yeah, I am. I already told Marc, and I figured that you were next. I felt like I should be the one to tell you that I'm leaving. I," she paused, at a loss for words. "I owe you so much. Without everything you've done for me I wouldn't be who I am."

He smiled, "I have a feeling that most of who you are was your doing not mine." He put up a hand to stop her from interrupting. "I know that my work on your family's case back in '83 helped you a lot, and I know that I hired you, but the rest was you. You didn't get this job because I felt sorry for you, you got this job because you are brilliant and capable of doing it. You'll do great in Vegas with Gil as your supervisor. Just as you did great here with Marc Spencer and myself as your supervisors."

"Thank you," she replied with a soft smile. "I'll miss you when I go. You've been my mentor during my time here. I've learned so much because of you."

"Why do you want to go?"

She grimaced and sighed. "The memories. I've wanted to leave this city my whole life and now I have the chance. I can go where no one has heard of Laura and Jason Sidle or of Laurence Faden. I can go where I have a friend and start a job without anyone remembering my case. The best part is that Nevada is only a couple hours away and I can visit people back here any time."

Bemused he replied, "So you're happy then."

She laughed. "Yes, I'm happy."

* * *

_TBC..._

_Please review, I know people are reading, so please (begs oh so sweetly)._

_This is NOT a Grissom/Sara story. They have something in their past which will be delt with eventually, but they are not going to be together during the course of the story. I have kept the attraction which was in the early episodes, and that will be expanded upon, but not for a bit._

_**To those on my review alert list**: I read your bios and looked at your favorite stories to see what you like or not in a ship, and many of you seemed ambivalent about your choices, but the others didn't. I'm glad to say that you'll probably all be happy with the choices in this story. One of you will definitely be happy with my choice for Grissom._

_**Thank you** ericloca for your review, Greg will get a girlfriend (a wife eventually)._

_Actually everyone will have someone by the end (whether they are dating, engaged, or married) some will have kids, there will be lots of craziness and some people will date but then not be together (that would be because people do date and not stay together) plus there are some one-nighters and angsty relationships as well. That would be my third reason for not telling what relationships are going to be the final ships, because there are many points in which there are other people in the lives of the characters before the final relationships._


	5. Decisions: 2

_**A/N:** There are more notes at the end, but these should go at the beginning. I'm really going to try not having Sara be the first person in each chapter, she won't be, but this chapter takes place minutes after the previous chapter concluded._

_In addition, I'm treating the CSI shifts like there are more people working during them than just the main characters; I'm just not introducing the imaginary people. So when Grissom is handing out assignments, imagine that there are more than just Cath, Nick, and Warrick in the room, about two or three more people._

**As We Live  
****Part 1: **A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara  
**Chapter 5-** Decisions: Part 2

"Well she's finally arrived," Steven Smith said as Sara entered the conference room at the San Francisco Crime Lab. "I thought you never came to work late."

Sara gave him a glare, "I was talking to Director Cameron, which Spencer already knew about." Then she refocused her attention on the rest of the group: her colleagues and supervisor. "As I have already told Blake and Marc, I'm leaving my position here and taking a new one I was offered in Las Vegas. My job here ends in two weeks, and I'll be moving the week after that." There were murmurs among the group of varying emotions as she took a seat.

Marc Spencer stood up, bringing the group to attention, and began assigning the team their cases. Each of them left after being given their assignments, many gave Sara a parting nod or squeeze on the arm before heading out. Finally, only Spencer, Sara, Steven, and Felicity McConnell were in the room, and Marc told them what they were going to be doing.

"Felicity and Steven, you'll be working with Sara for the next two weeks. Sara, since you're leaving, I don't want you to have any new cases added to your workload. You'll be handing over all of your open cases to them." They all nodded in acknowledgement, so Marc turned to leave, but then he turned back. "And Smith, you better behave yourself; McConnell, I'm certain that you and Sidle can manage to keep him in line."

"Yes sir," the three replied, each in a different tone of voice. With a nod, he leaves them to their work. "Well," Sara began. "Let's get my files and a layout room so that I can tell you about my cases." So the three of them left the room and began walking down the hall.

"How many open ones do you have," Felicity asked.

Sara grinned, "About fifteen."

"Fifteen," Steven exclaimed. "You can't be serious."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know me; I'm always serious when it comes to work. Why do you think Marc assigned two of you to take over my files?"

"I'd just like to know why Steven was assigned this task with us."

"We've worked together on a lot of cases. Plus he's not that popular among the rest of the field workers, or it's just punishment because I'm leaving." Sara and Felicity exchanged devious grins.

Steven glared at them. "You're talking about me while I'm standing next to you, don't you think that's a little rude?"

The women shrugged. "It's part of being above you in rank Steven," Sara said in a matter of fact tone. "The other part is me being your ex-girlfriend and disliking you."

He smiled ruefully and said in a sarcastic tone, "Oh these next couple weeks are going to be fun."

* * *

Grissom looked at his staff as they gathered around the conference table awaiting their assignments. It was hard for him to view himself as their boss instead of their equal, but he supposed it was a change that they'd all have to adjust to. Their numbers were smaller than usual, but they would be able to handle the caseload their shift would inevitably have. Grissom just wasn't certain that he'd be able to do all of the paperwork the position required of him. 

"Before you all head out today I'd like to tell you some important news." He paused, and Catherine, Warrick, and Nick looked at him with curiosity. "Our team is getting a new member. Some of you met Sara Sidle when she was here to help on Holly's case a few weeks ago. She has accepted a position which was offered to her here, and will be starting in the middle of next month. We will also be keeping a position open for Holly so that she can return to work with us when she is ready." He paused a moment before handing out their cases so that the information would sink in. Nick and Warrick, who were assigned to an art gallery robbery, left together.

"What's goin' on man," Nick asked when they got into his car.

"Sara," Warrick said tiredly. "She's the one who investigated me."

"So, is there a problem with that?"

"Yeah," Warrick responded with some frustration. "She wanted me fired, and glared at me every time she saw me. That's not exactly the kind of person I want to work next to you know?"

Nick nodded soberly, but then grinned broadly. "Hey, maybe it won't be all that bad. It'll be nice to have a new woman around here, pretty new face to look at, chance to date someone new."

"You can try for her if you want; I'm not going near her. Wait, what happened to… to… what's her name, the red-head you were dating last month?"

"Oh, Natasha, she said that I was too boring for her tastes. She doesn't think that I take enough risks, so she left me for a stuntman."

Warrick laughed. "Maybe you should become more interesting before going after another woman."

"Very funny, and when was _your_ last date?"

"Rachel Fox, a cop in Narcotics, two weeks ago. _I_ wasn't called boring."

Nick shook his head and stepped hard on the gas. Warrick smiled; he had won that particular contest.

* * *

"Good news," the doctor said as he walked into Holly's hospital room. "You're getting released today." 

Holly smiled broadly. "I know, they told me yesterday."

The doctor was very upbeat and friendly. "Well at least some messages get passed along around here. How are you feeling?"

She thought about it for awhile, figuring out what bothered her and what didn't. "I still don't have feeling in parts of legs. In some parts I feel a tingling sensation, but the rest is numb."

"Some of the numbness is caused by the medications we have you on, while the rest is partly due to nerve damage. When you're going through physical therapy we'll be working on trying to fix some of the nerve damage. The tingling is a good sign that your body is making progress though. Can you show me where the tingling is?" For the next few minutes, the doctor felt Holly's legs to see where she could feel and where she didn't feel. Then he said, "The good news is that your feet and about sixty percent of your legs do have feeling. What else can you tell me?"

She sighed tiredly. "I keep getting headaches and my insides still hurt."

He gave her a friendly smile. "We'll see if the headaches go away after you are off some of the medications. As for your insides, they still need a little time to heal. I'm going to give you several lists of what you can and can't do after you are released. You'll have to see me regularly, once a week for awhile, and then we'll reduce the frequency of visits after you make more progress. Your prescriptions are also going to be given to you before you leave. When your stitches are ready to come out I'll remove them for you." He paused, looking at the ceiling, trying to remember if there was anything he had forgotten. "Well, that's about it I believe. If there's anything I forgot I'll get it to you. Do you have any questions?"

"None that I can think of."

"Well then I'll see you next week at my office. The nurses will tell you everything you need to know about at home care. All right?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"Good," he replied, before heading out.

_**Later that day…**_

After being unplugged from the IVs she was on, Holly dressed in normal clothes. She didn't have much trouble pulling the pale green tank top over her head, even though she needed to work on getting it over the gauze bandages which covered her from chest to waist. Getting the shorts on was a trickier task. Peter and Jane Gribbs, Holly's parents, offered to help but she refused. She wanted to prove to them and herself that she was capable of doing things on her own. She laid the shorts at the bottom of her feet, and slowly pulled them over her ankles and calves. Biting her lower lip to concentrate and ignore the pain in her abdomen, she wiggled her body on the bed so that slowly but surely she moved her shorts over her thighs and finally around her hips. She half-grinned, "Well at least that task is over."

Her mother raised an eyebrow, "You make life too hard for yourself. We could have helped you."

"She wants to try on her own, she won't get anywhere if she spends her life depending on us," Peter defended.

"I know," Jane replied shortly.

"I do need help getting into the wheelchair," Holly said, breaking the tension between her parents. They helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed, and then they supported her as she moved the few steps from the bed to the wheelchair. Her legs were weak and wobbly from the numbness and lack of use. "It looks like I won't be walking on my own for awhile," Holly said once she was finally situated. Her parents exchanged sad expressions before gathering the rest of Holly's belongings and carrying them out the door as a nurse pushed Holly down the hall.

Her parents purchased a wheelchair for her to use and insisted on her staying with them, at least until she was able to with the help of a walker. Grudgingly, she agreed to stay with them. After leaving the hospital, they went to the pharmacy to pick up all of her prescriptions, and then they went to her apartment to get some of her belongings. When they arrived at her parent's home, it was late afternoon, and Holly was exhausted. The important thing however, was that she was starting to recover, even if it was slowly.

_TBC…

* * *

_

_I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I hope you like it anyway._

_Thank you SOO much to _Csifreak04, Sassysasha19, megslife, ericloca, necira, Texan Star, Just Thinking, MC New York, and Drusilla Braun _for your reviews, they were much appreciated and enjoyed!_

**Answers to some questions:**

_Lindsey's age has been changed for the furthering of her storyline._

_I've wanted to read stories where Holly lives, and the few that I've seen are ok, but not really what I was looking for. At first I wasn't even sure if I'd keep her alive, but I'm glad that I did because the dynamic changes a lot. As for the Holly/Warrick angle… That's a tad obvious don't you think? Which is why things are not going to be as simple as they could be. I love the scenes between them though, because they are so cute and play on the emotions really well._

_Cath and Sara smoking came because in Cool Change (the foundation to chapters 1-3) they both are chewing Nicorette, but then never delt with it again. So I figured that it would be an interesting subplot._

_The person on the phone with Sara in Ch. 3 is a woman._

_Steven you met in this chapter._

_Sara has some deep issues with gamblers, which will be shown when I get to her investigating Warrick gambling. Of course I'm not telling her whole past at that point, when that happens it'll be a tearjerker kind of chapter. _

_Griss and Sara... I mention in my A/N for ch.4 that they have something in their past. I am keeping their attraction, but it will go away. How it ends will definitely surprise everyone._

_I also like her boss in SF. He knows who she is, and she trusts him. I'm not certain if he is going to be used again or not, but I do know that I like him and he is a good person. He is also someone who Sara looks up to a lot and learned a lot from._

**Other Notes:**

_Not all of the characters have been introduced yet, including main characters from the show, but there will be original characters and the cross-over characters as well. When I bring in another show, I'll explain it to the readers, and provide links so that you can learn more about the characters of those shows._

_I ship all over the place, so it won't be obvious who I'm bringing together right away, and even when people are together there will be difficulties. Oh well, all I ask of my readers is that they approach this story with an open mind and watch the characters develop._


	6. Decisions: 3

**As We Live **

**Part 1: A Girl Named Holly and A Girl Named Sara **

**Chapter 6- Decisions: Part 3 **

Greg had summoned Nick to the DNA lab to tell him the results of the samples he had been given. He picked up the papers, but delayed handing them to Nick. "So the new girl, Sara, is supposed to be coming next week right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"She's beautiful."

"You've met her?"

"Yeah, when she was on Holly's case. Golden brown hair, nice tan, great smile..."

"And an attitude from what Warrick and Cath have been telling me."

"So, I doubt if she can be my younger sister's temper."

"Hey, I'm one of seven kids, I know tempers. I just don't know if we can handle someone as fiery as they say Sara is working here. Now, the results?" Greg shook his head in resignation before telling Nick the results of the samples.

* * *

"Well, it looks like everything's packed." Sara scanned her apartment, which was bare except for a few boxes and parts of her bedroom furniture. "Thanks for your help Felicity. Steven's a pretty good packer."

Felicity laughed. "Even for all the annoying things he does, he's good for some things."

"He's a good criminalist... it's just that he's a lousy boyfriend."

"For which everyone still questions your sanity. You knew he was a player and a self-absorbed jerk, what on earth possessed you to date him?"

"I was lonely, and he was available. It's not like we were ever serious. Come on, let's take some of the boxes out for him to put in the moving van." So Sara and Felicity both picked up some boxes to take outside. Steven, who was standing by the truck took the boxes from them and placed them inside the small trailer where most of Sara's belongings already were. Then the three of them went back into the apartment to get the rest of her boxes and furniture. Within three trips, all of her stuff was packed.

"Thank you both for your help. If you need anything on the cases I handed you, call me, I'm keeping my cell, or e-mail me, because that's not going to change either."

"Why are you leaving," Felicity asked.

Sara paused, considering what to say. "It's complicated. I want to advance; I want to leave this city; I want a change. I'll miss you." She looked at Steven and smiled a little. "I think I'll miss you too."

"I'm glad," he replied. "Especially after all the hard work I just did for you."

"You still have to hitch my car to the truck."

"You're perfectly capable of doing that."

"I know, but I like to make a man do some work."

He shook his head, but still smiled. "So you know where you're going to?"

"It's not that hard to get to Vegas from here, and I went the other week to look for apartments. The one I'm going to is nice, it's actually bigger than this one. Everything went through with my applications for the job and apartment. I just need to drop off the keys for this one and start driving."

"How are you going to unpack there," Steven asked.

"I have a hand-cart, and most of my stuff isn't that heavy, it won't be hard."

"Do you want us to wait for your landlord with you," Felicity asked.

"No, it's ok."

"Well then, I'll get finished here," Steven said, before turning to Sara's car. Together, the three of them hitched her car to the truck, and then gave Sara a hug before leaving. Ten or so minutes later her landlord arrived, and did a final walkthrough with her. Shortly there after, Sara Sidle was on her way to Las Vegas.

* * *

"_And_," Holly emphasized the word while looking at Warrick, she was waiting for an answer.

"Well I lived," he replied with a grin.

She frowned. "No really."

He sighed dramatically. "Fine, the car was totaled, but my girlfriend and I managed to get out fine and not get into that much trouble."

She shook her head, and then looked at him with curiosity. "So what happened between the two of you?"

He frowned. "She was from a moderately wealthy family, a lot more money then my family, and after the car wreck they wouldn't let me anywhere near her."

"Even though the crash was both of your faults," She asked in disbelief. He nodded. "After a month or so they moved to Reno."

"What was her name?"

"Sayuri Maureen Yamoto."

"Interesting name."

"She was an interesting girl. Her father was Japanese and her mother was Irish."

"That explains the name."

"Yeah, it worked for us though. Being bi-racial isn't easy now, and it was worse then. We could relate to one another about everything."

They were quiet for awhile, and Holly saw the distant look in his eyes. "You loved her didn't you," She asked quietly.

Warrick answered casually. "I guess, but we were teens, everything's different when you're that young. Did you ever fall in love?"

"Not really, there were guys I dated and cared about, but I don't know if I really _loved_ any of them." They were quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "Switching subjects, you're a lot more fun to hang out with then my parents or sister and nephew. I'm also very glad to be back in my own apartment."

"How's your recovery coming along?"

"I get shooting pains down my legs when I walk, but I'm able to manage with the crutches. My doctor says that there's still one bullet in me, and he wants to remove it soon. They didn't get it out the last time because they wanted me to heal some and stabilize first. They think the pains will stop once the bullet is removed, but aren't guaranteeing anything. It's all so expensive, and the case is going to take months, and I can't bring up a civil suit before the criminal suit is finished. The problem with a civil suit is that he doesn't have any money."

"That's why a fund was set up for you."

"I know, and I'm very glad that so many people are willing to help pay for these expenses. You know, someone gave five thousand dollars?"

"_What_," he exclaimed in shock.

"Someone within the crime lab gave five thousand dollars, but wishes to remain anonymous. The contributor is also willing to pay whatever expenses are not covered by the other money that is raised. Who has that kind of money in the lab?"

Warrick shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, Cath's family has money but she wouldn't go anonymous, and I know Grissom makes money from his books as well as from the lab and the lectures he does, but he's the type to give it to you directly. Maybe someone from days?"

"Well, this sounds like a mystery that we may not figure out, but we should try our hardest." They both grinned.

"Yeah, in between all the cases I'll try to figure out who is loaded."

"Sounds like a plan."

He was about to say something in response when his phone rang; it was Judge Cohen. He unwillingly answered the phone, and after a short conversation, he got ready to leave.

"Hey, I'm sorry Holl, but I've got to go."

"It's ok, just don't do anything stupid." She didn't see his guilty expression because she was getting up from her seat, and couldn't see his face. When she was standing, she gave him a wry grin. "You know, like off-roading with your girlfriend and crashing your car because you're making out at the same time."

"I'd need a girlfriend first."

"Weren't you just dating someone last week?"

"She said that I spent too much time with you."

"You do, but what difference does that make?"

"I don't know, but I have to go. I promise that I won't crash my car."

"I'll hold you to that."

They were both smiling broadly. He then hugged her before leaving to do Judge Cohen's bidding.

* * *

Catherine nearly threw her purse at him, but given that it would have made things much worse, she refrained. Eddie had decided to try to obtain primary custody of Lindsey. He had a somewhat genuine claim because Catherine worked so much, but the fact that he would stoop so low infuriated her. For the moment however, their custody was still split, and until the court decided to change things, which would be awhile, they would have split custody. However, his actions had caused Catherine to hate him more than ever before. To make matters worse, Lindsey had started to rebel against both of them, and she still refused to speak more than a few words to either of them._

* * *

_

_TBC..._

**Notes on the chapter:** Nick being one of 7 kids was from a companion book to CSI, although in that he was the youngest, in this he is the second youngest. I realize that in the show, Greg was made an only child, in this he isn't. You'll learn more about the families of the characters as things go on. Warrick's talk with Holly... try to keep it in the back of your mind.

**Other Notes**: I'm sorry about the long wait, and that this was a rather boring chapter (that's one of the reasons it took so long to write, the later chapters are much more interesting to write/reade ;) School and my job didn't help. I also had a Star Trek story that hadn't been updated since Oct. or Nov. (they deserved an update.) I've also been writing a **Miniature Killer story** on my other account (go to my profile page for that). Oh, and then I saw POTC: At World's End... I hated it, disliked it, now I kinda like it... but the plot bunnies ran to me after seeing the film. So now I have an active POTC story as well as one for the future :)

Good news,** I have a beta**! (Although I didn't give her this chapter... Sorry Medha!) I just wanted you to get an update before I'm gone for awhile. (I'm going to California for a little over a week starting Friday.)

Thank you to all my reviewers! Drusilla Braun, Just Thinking,** megslife**- _that may be the best review I've ever gotten_, necira, StoryDreamer, ericloca, csifreak04, Sassysasha19, **Dorothy Of Kansas**- _your re.view was so_ _wonderful!,_ and Special Agent Meg. (and anyone else I might have forgotten)

**WAIT**, there's more! Since I haven't revealed **ships** yet, I'm gonna do the following, but **only if get respons**es. I'll reveal the crossover ships (usually strictly in-show shipping) If you didn't remember about the crossovers and want to know what they are, look on my profile. I'll also reveal **one** of the **main ships** for one of the characters. I'll go with the most popular response. The only one you **can not** ask is Grissom, because this is the answer I'll give-- it's complicated. So, when I update with Chapter 7 (within the month probably) I'll reveal the answer to your responses. :)


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